Tuesday 2/25 

Paul Simon and Sting. An American folk icon and an English '80s-pop crooner team up for an arena tour…you provide the punch line. Reports from previous stops say that the pair will tag team on a few of each other’s hits before breaking apart for solo runs tonight at the United Center.

Also tonight: Local country songbird Nora O’Connor finishes out her February residency at The Hideout.

Thursday 2/27

Two punk shows: The Sonics, one of punk’s earliest acts, plays the Double Door. At The Burlington, PUP, a band of Canadian newcomers, play their explosive, anthemic take on the genre.

Elsewhere, a duo of noted experimentalists take to the stage at Constellation: Bassist and composer Joshua Abrams is backed by his Natural Information Society while CAVE’s Cooper Crane performs with his side vehicle Bitchin Bajas.

Friday 2/28

Evanston-raised rapper Probcause appears at Schubas behind recent mixtape, The Recipe Volume 2, in which he flexes his solo muscles alongside appearances from local notables such as buddy Chance The Rapper, Psalm One and ShowYouSuck.

Saturday 3/1

Husker Du co-founder Bob Mould hits the Old Town School of Folk Music for a solo gig celebrating the 25th anniversary of his debut solo album, Workbook.

Tonight’s emo lineup at Bottom Lounge aims to quash the gripes of fourth-wave haters with three solid acts, headlined by local scene heavyweight Evan Weiss’s solo vehicle Into It. Over It.

Earlier in the day, The Empty Bottle tries its hand at a winter block party, dubbed this seasonally appropriate take on its famed tagline: “Music Frozen Dancing.” Lady shredder Marnie Stern headlines with support from the unhinged punks in Diarrhea Planet, along with locals Heavy Times and Rabble Rabble.

And at The Vic, the duo known as Broken Bells, consisting of ace producer Danger Mouse and James Mercer of The Shins, play a sold-out show with a full band. Stub Hub or Craiglist might be viable options for latecomers.

Sunday 3/2

It’s a Scottish invasion at Lincoln Hall with indie-rock quintet We Were Promised Jetpacks and girl-garage duo Honeyblood.

If you didn’t catch Bob Mould last night, he’s playing again at City Winery, though the show is marked “sold out” (check in with the ticket resellers mentioned above.)